February 3, 2023

Hello, Trailwood Community!

February is always an exciting and fun month at Trailwood, as this is the time of year when we host our biggest fundraiser! Tickets to our Happy Hour and Trivia Night are on sale now, and we hope you’ll join us! Proceeds from this fundraiser support over 50 programs at Trailwood, including field trips, mini grants, cultural arts activities, and more! We hope to see you there!

February also means lots of Valentine’s Day fun at the school! Class parties are being planned by our fabulous group of room parents as we speak, and we can’t wait to celebrate! We are also thrilled to be hosting our annual Science Night on February 16th from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm! This year’s event features some amazing activities and vendors and will provide lots of STEM fun for all ages! Please join us!

Additionally, we’ll be creating a “winter wonderland” at the school on February 11th from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm as a fun surprise for our kiddos and staff! If you have some time to spare, please stop by and help us pull it off!

As always, feel free to be in touch with any questions you might have!

Cara Peterson

caraelizabeth1@yahoo.com

February Events

District Speed Stacking Competition: February 2, 2023 at 5:30 pm

Spring and Classroom Pictures: February 3, 2023

Parent/Teacher Conferences District Night Event: February 9, 2023

No School - PreK - 6th Parent/Teacher Conferences: February 10, 2023

Winter Wonderland Decorating Event: February 11, 2023 at 10:30 am

Kids Heart Challenge: February 13 – February 17, 2023

PTA Meeting in Commons: February 14, 2023 at 8:15 am

Classroom Valentine’s Day Parties: February 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm

Deadline to RSVP for Happy Hour and Trivia Night: February 14, 2023

Mathletics Regional Finals: February 15, 2023

Family Fun Science Night: February 16, 2023 at 5:30 pm

No School - President’s Day: February 20, 2023

5th Grade Band and Strings Concert: February 21, 2023 at 7:00 pm

Happy Hour and Trivia Night: February 25, 2023 at 6:00 pm

It's Almost Time for Trivia!

Have you purchased your tickets to our annual fundraiser yet? If not, you'll want to hurry! The deadline to RSVP is February 14th!

We can’t wait to enjoy an adult-only night out on Saturday, February 25th, at 6:00 pm at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center. Happy Hour will run from 6:00 - 7:00 pm, and then guests will come together to compete in our movie-themed Trivia Night. You can come for just the Happy Hour, but we'd also love for you to join us for trivia!

You can purchase individual tickets to be placed at grade-level tables or create an 8-person table. If you don't have a full table, feel free to indicate with whom you would like to sit. Tickets can be purchased here. Don't miss out!

And, don’t forget that you’ll have an opportunity to bid on some familiar favorites, including teacher experiences, classroom artwork and parking spaces. More information to come soon!

And, our fabulous grade level gift baskets will be available as raffle items! We have some amazing basket themes this year, including Coffee, Mom's Favorite Things, Local Breweries, Brunch, Summertime Fun, Craft Cocktails, and Mixology! Raffle tickets are $5 each and can be purchased here. You'll be given your tickets on the evening of the event to place in the baskets you'd like. Unable to attend? Leave a note when indicated at time of purchase, and we'll make sure it gets put in the correct baskets!

Questions? Contact Cara Peterson for more information!

Science Night

Everyone is invited to come to our annual Trailwood Science Night on February 16^th from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm. We have lots of amazing vendors (many coming to Trailwood for the first time ever!) who will have STEM-focused activities for kids of all ages! Please join us for a fun-filled evening!

Thank You, Committee Chairs

Our many Trailwood events could not happen without the support of our wonderful committee chairs and their teams of volunteers! Please thank these amazing committee chairs for sharing their time and talents with us during the month of January!

6^th Grade Photos: Matt Weiss

Legislative Meeting and Information: Emily Meissen-Sebelius

Winter Flight Time: Amber Hipp

Skate Party: Jen Pontier

Yearbook Group Photos: Tracy Hugunin

Cultural Arts Assemblies: Andrea Krasnow

Winter Wonderland at Trailwood

We have a fun volunteer opportunity coming up that we'd like to let you know about! We are planning to create a "winter wonderland" at Trailwood as a surprise for the kids and staff to enjoy during the week of February 13th!

We will meet at the school on Saturday, February 11th, from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to not only create a fun atmosphere for the kiddos and staff, but to also meet some fellow parents and PTA members. Please feel free to bring your Trailwood questions, feedback, and new ideas; this would be a great time to chat in a relaxed and fun environment!

If you're able to sneak away for an hour or two and help us with this fun surprise OR if you would like to donate some supplies to make our Winter Wonderland complete, please sign up here. Thanks for your help!

Legislative PTA Meeting Update

A big thank you goes out to Emily Meissen-Sebelius, our legislative chair, for organizing last month’s legislative PTA meeting. This meeting was a joint venture between the PTA’s of Brookwood, Diemer and Trailwood and featured four of our area legislators, Senator Cindy Holscher, Senator Ethan Corson, Representative Stephanie Clayton and Representative Mari-Lynn Poskin. We were so fortunate to learn more about the issues surrounding public education in Kansas, and we thank these legislators for sharing their time with us, their constituents!

Be sure to follow the Trailwood PTA and SMAC PTA Facebook pages for updates on bills related to public education during the 2023 legislative session in Topeka and important action items!

Family Spotlight

Let's get to know each other! Each month, we'd like to highlight a Trailwood family; this month, you can learn all about the Bhakta family! Would you like to see your family featured in a future PTA newsletter? Please reach out to Tracy Hugunin, if interested!

Tell us about your family.

We are the Bhaktas. Shamir and I (Sonal) work together; we own and operate our company, Kansas Hospitality Management Services. There are challenges and benefits to working together, but we wouldn't want to have it any other way. We have 2 beautiful and energetic Thunderbirds. Our first is our beautiful 10-year-old daughter, Aria, who is in 5th grade. And our crazy energetic 5-year-old son, Shrihaan, who is in Pre-K. Both of our kids love Trailwood and we feel blessed to have them be part of such a great community.

What makes your family unique?

I think what makes us unique is how different we all are. All four of our personalities are completely different. But I think that's what makes it so much more fun for us.

Where is your family originally from? What is your heritage?

Our family heritage is from Gujarat, India. Both of Shamir and Sonal's parents were born and raised in India. Our families migrated to the states between 1970's and 1980's in hopes to build a better future for their kids one day. It was important for both of our parents to teach us our heritage they brought back from India. And we try our best to teach our kids where our family comes from. This past winter we were fortunate enough to go back to India with our kids. Both Shrihaan and Aria had a blast on their first trip to India.

How did you end up in the KC area? What brought you to Trailwood?

Shamir and Sonal lived in Salina, Kansas after getting married in 2007. After having Aria, we wanted to be around family more. Most of our families and friends were in the KC Area. So, we moved to Overland Park in 2014. Moving to Kansas City area was probably the best decision we made, we love everything about living here.

Where are your favorite places to visit?

Shrihaan and Aria love to travel. We have family in California, Arizona, and Texas. So, whenever we have time off from school, we try to get away to those places. Sonal's favorite place to visit would be Southern California, mainly due to the fact that most of her family lives in SoCal. Shamir's favorite place to visit is Las Vegas, for all the fun that lives in Vegas.

What do you like to do as a family?

Besides traveling, as a family, we like to watch sports. Shamir graduated from KU, so KU basketball season is always fun for us to enjoy together. We love watching football as well. Shamir is a Green Bay fan. Sonal, Shrihaan and Aria are Chiefs fans! Go Chiefs! We also love to cook and eat good food together.

Do you have any restaurant recommendations?

Shamir and Sonal's favorite restaurant is Thai Place on 87th Street. If Shrihaan and Aria get a choice, then they would pick Chipotle.

Would you recommend any favorite local events?

When the weather is nice, we like to enjoy our local parks. During the summer, we like to enjoy the pool at the Jewish Community Center. When we get a chance, we have been lucky enough to enjoy some great sporting events and concerts that come to KC area. Shrihaan and Aria like going to Main Event, Top Golf, Union Station and all the fun stuff that KC has to offer.

Thank you, Wingmen

We'd like to thank these awesome volunteers who gave their time during the month of January as wingmen!

Brad Osborn

Leif Peterson

We would love to see more dads and father figures in the hallways this month!

Any questions about the wingman program may be directed to Eric Foreman. Please view available volunteer dates here.

February PTA Meeting

Our February meeting will take place on Valentine’s Day! Meet us in the Commons on February 14^th at 8:15 am for the latest updates from Mr. Lawrence and your PTA officers!

Valentine's Day Classroom Parties

We are so excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our classroom parties on February 14^th from 2:00 – 3:00 pm! A big thank you goes out to our wonderful room parents who are planning for yet another fun holiday at Trailwood!

Just a few notes about the day….

Food may be served at parties; however, all food (with the exception of fruits and veggies) must be pre-packaged and labeled. Soda may not be served. Additionally, we encourage parents not to send candy with their children’s valentines. If candy is included in a valentine, teachers will be asked to send the candy home.

While we strongly discourage the exchange of Valentine gifts at school, students may exchange valentines with classmates if they desire. However, valentines must be brought in for the entire class.

Thanks for your help in making our Valentine's Day parties safe and fun for everyone!

PTA Memberships On Sale Now

The PTA is committed to supporting the students, families, teachers and staff of Trailwood Elementary. You can help us in this effort by becoming a PTA member. Becoming a member doesn't obligate you to attend meetings or volunteer; you can be as involved as you would like! Here is a link to purchase your membership as well as activity fee and yearbook here.

If you choose not to become a member, please remember that you still need to update your information in the directory. Doing so allows us to communicate with you throughout the school year and gives you access to the online directory. Families frequently use the directory for birthday party invitations, play dates, sports teams and more. For them to be able to see your information-please select that you want your information to be published in the directory.

The PTA website is a great resource, and you can access the directory from there.

Please do not hesitate to contact Lori Tritsch if you have any questions. Thank you for keeping your directory information up to date and for considering a PTA membership purchase this year!

Yearbook Photos Wanted

The Trailwood yearbook photo upload link is ready, and the committee needs your photos for this year's yearbook!

Please upload your fun pics from the Special Person's Lunch, Pancake breakfast, classroom parties, extra-curricular activities and any other TW related events to this link.

The yearbook committee asks that all uploads have a description added to include your child's grade, teacher and/or short note about the event. Thank you!

Pre-K and Kindergarten Enrollment

Pre-K and Kindergarten Enrollment Kickoff

We are excited to announce Pre-K and Kindergarten enrollment for 2023-2024 will open online at 8 a.m. on February 10th. Please be aware that all required documentation will need to be uploaded prior to processing the application.

JCPRD Wrap Around Pre-K Enrollment Information

The 2023-2024 JCPRD PreK enrollment! Registration opens on Friday February 10^th at 8am. Click here for more information and to enroll.

The enrollment is all online this year and will be on a first come, first served basis. If a family tries to register after we are full, they will automatically be put on a waitlist.

Egg My Yard

See the attached flyer for more information on this fun activity sponsored by the SMS Speech and Debate Squad and Booster Club!

February 2023 Legislative Update

For our January PTA meeting, we partnered with John Diemer and Brookwood PTAs to host 4 out of 5 of our area legislators. It was a flood of information about what to expect in Topeka, as the legislature is in full swing now until April. The biggest takeaway was that there are opportunities, but also major threats, to public education funding, namely:

- Not fully funding special education, which cost SMSD about $8 million last year out of the district’s general fund budget

- Voucher-type programs, which divert money away from public schools, despite evidence from other states that they have little oversight, don't create true choice for most parents, and don't improve student outcomes (more from SMAC PTA)

- Tax policies/proposals that go too far in decreasing state revenue and would likely result in cuts to K-12 education (examples were proposals that would overcommit state budget dollars, like a flat tax)

We also heard about several other policy issues like efforts to support teacher retention, a "Parent's Bill of Rights," sports participation bills, and open enrollment policies.

Parent voices are definitely needed this year, as the threats to funding are very real and could have a significant impact on our district and our school! You can find your legislator here and can contact them to share your opinions. Watch our TW Facebook page for alerts on specific bills and how to take action! Contact Emily Meissen-Sebelius with questions or for more information.

Trailwood PTA

5101 W 95th Street

Overland Park, KS 66207

SUBJECT: February 2023 Newsletter